Resonance Oscillation Washing Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A washing apparatus relies on oscillation motion that are controlled by a computer and a singular or a plural number of vibrators to cause a spring-supported sealed container containing the washing object and its surrounding liquid to oscillate in resonance motion. The purpose of fast and efficient cleaning is achieved through relative movements, frictions and air bubbles among the washing objects, container wall and liquid together at the result of this resonant motion. A plural number of motion sensors provide input signals to the computer to calculate and monitor the system resonant frequency variation and drifting of the washing apparatus and to control the vibrators&#39; drive frequency in real-time to maintain this resonant motion for washing apparatus throughout the washing cycle under different washed object types and load conditions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new washing apparatus. Specifically, the invention relates to a vibration-driven apparatus to oscillate at its resonant frequency for cloth cleaning purpose.

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FOREIGN APPLICATION PRIORITY DATA

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional washing machine apparatus relies on a rotating agitator in the case of the top load model, or a rotation cylinder in the case of front load model, to stir both washing object and its surrounding water and detergent in forward or reverse motion for cloth washing. Overall the traditional washing machine has served as one of the most important household appliance despite of their certain weakness that cloth gets tangled with each other and that their cleaning quality goes down under heavy load condition. With agitator rod, the traditional washing machines require large quantity of water and lengthy washing time.

Alternatively there are studies and proposals to use low frequency oscillation to achieve cloth washing to overcome the weakness of traditional washing machine design. However, all the existing oscillation type of wash machine designs place an oscillation vibrator inside a tub to generate vibration motion. The major drawback of this design is that it will requires high power vibrator in order to stir up sufficient oscillation motion to achieve effective cloth washing result.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an alternative design approach is proposed that can overcome the limitation of prior arts to generate strong resonant vibration oscillation motion efficiently with just small electrical vibrator power and energy to make the design feasible for a real appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses an oscillation washing apparatus design that overcomes some disadvantages of prior art to achieve energy efficiency and to reduce potential fabrics damage during washing cycle. The design makes it possible for a portable washing apparatus in the fields.

An embodiment of the present invention comprises of a sealed container to receive fluid of water and detergent and fabrics to be washed, a plural number of springs, a control computer, a single or plural number of vibrators, a plural number of motion sensors and a frame base to form a controllable oscillation system to allow said sealed container and the contents inside to oscillate under the excitation from the computer commanded vibrator(s). During washing operation, a control computer monitors the motion of said oscillation system by sampling signals from the plural number of sensors, and uses digital signal processing to determine system resonant frequency of said washing apparatus in operation, and commands electrical vibrators to exert oscillation force with the resonant frequency to drive said oscillation washing apparatus into resonant oscillation. The cleaning of fabrics is achieved through relative friction motion among fabrics and fluid, and through micro bubbles and cavitations created due to strong resonant oscillation of said washing apparatus.

During the resonant oscillation in the washing operation, the control computer continuous sampling sensor signals and performs digital signal processing to track and monitor system's resonance frequency variation and drifting, and uses the result as control feedback to adjust vibrator's excitation force and frequency to keep oscillation washing apparatus in resonant oscillation motion for maximum effects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention of oscillation washing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is the block diagram of computer software washing control for the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of present invention will be described hereunder with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the embodiment of the washing apparatus comprises of a sealed container 101, a singular or a plural number of vibrator(s) 102 attached to the sealed container, a control computer 103, a plural number of sensors 104, a plural number of springs 105 supporting the container from a frame base 106 to form an oscillation system. The vibrator(s) 102 is powered electrically and is controlled by the computer 102 in order to generate vibration force of varying frequencies upon the oscillation system of said washing apparatus.

The container has a sealable opening for putting and removing water, detergent and washing objects. During the washing operation of the embodiment of the present invention, the control computer 103 will drive the vibrator to exert oscillation force at various pre-defined frequencies in the initial phase of washing cycle to cause the washing apparatus to start pre-wash oscillating. The sensors 104 disposed at the container 101 will pick up oscillation motion of the container-spring oscillation system and convert it to electronic signals to feed into the control computer 103. The control computer 103 samples the sensor signal via A/D and perform digital signal processing that includes Fourier transformation to determine the main resonant frequency of the whole oscillation system under the current wash load and water level condition. After determination of the washing apparatus's resonant frequency in the initial phase of washing cycle through signal processing, said computer then controls said vibrator(s) to switch said washing apparatus to main washing cycle to cause it to oscillate at said resonant frequency in order to generate the maximum oscillation motion with minimum vibrator driving power and energy.

With the sealed container oscillating in full amplitude at resonance, the water, detergent and the washing object mixing together are set to move in relative vibration motion among them and to generate micro air bubbles and cavitations. These results together with chemical effect of detergent produce effective washing and cleaning result.

Due to the random nature of washing objects mix inside the sealed container, the washing apparatus' resonant frequency may drift slowly. To ensure the washing apparatus always oscillating in its resonance frequency for the maximum energy and power efficiencies, the control computer will constantly sample the sensor signals and perform digital signal processing to re-calculate the system's new resonance frequency during the washing cycle, and drive said electrical vibrator(s) 102 to keep up with any resonant frequency variation for the apparatus to oscillate in the new resonance frequency.

The advantage of using real-time signal from sensors and digital signal processing techniques for the determination of washing apparatus' resonant frequency under the current operation condition is that it eliminates any needs for designs or sensing device to measure water level, weight of washing objects, pressure inside the container, or any other factors that may affect the system resonant frequency during the washing operation.

The computer can drive said vibrator(s) away from the system resonant frequency or reduce the driving force as ways of reducing oscillation amplitude of said washing apparatus in order to achieve various degrees of washing effectiveness at different washing modes.

To limit resonant oscillation amplitude travel, proper stops and dampers are employed to control the oscillation motion of said washing apparatus to within a desired oscillation travel range.

FIG. 2 is the block diagram showing one embodiment of software control procedure of said control computer during the oscillation washing cycle.

The embodiments of the present invention herein have been disclosed in detail in order to provide a skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles in actual products, However, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific illustration of the embodiments and procedures disclosed and that various modifications, additions and subtractions, both as to the embodiment details and to the procedures, can be accomplished within the scope of the present invention and its claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An oscillation washing apparatus, comprising of a sealed container to receive fluid and fabrics to be washed, a plural number of springs, a control computer, a single or plural number of vibrators, a plural number of motion sensors and a frame base to form a controllable oscillation system.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a single or plural number of computer commanded vibrators are employed to incite said oscillation system into resonant oscillation at different frequencies in the washing operation of said apparatus.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plural number of sensors are employed to measure oscillation motion of said apparatus and provide measurement signal to said computer to determine resonant frequency of said oscillation system in the operation via digital signal processing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein plural number of springs are employed to support said sealed container from the base to form oscillation system of said washing apparatus.
 5. A method of washing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a control computer is employed to form a closed-loop feedback control system with said sensors and vibrators in order to drive and maintain resonant oscillation of said washing apparatus in washing cycle.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said vibrators are commanded by said computer to exert vibration excitation with predefined frequencies to said oscillation system of said washing apparatus at pre-wash cycle; wherein a plural number of said sensors are employed to measure oscillation system movement to determine system resonant frequency by said control computer through digital signal processing.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein said vibrators are commanded by said computer to incite said oscillation system into continuous resonant oscillation in washing cycle of said apparatus.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein said computer continues to sample sensor signals and to perform digital signal processing in real time to determine system resonant frequency variation and drifting during resonant oscillation of said apparatus in the washing cycle; and to use said measured resonant frequency variation as feedback to control vibrator excitation frequency in order to keep said oscillation system in resonant oscillation.
 9. The method of claim 5 wherein said computer controls vibrator drive frequency away from the resonant frequency of said oscillation system to adjust the oscillation motion magnitude of said oscillation system for different washing modes of said washing apparatus. 